Ken Wiley is a French Horn player, composer, and producer. He has a varied musical career. Wiley is a graduate of New York’s Manhattan School of Music and is considered one of Los Angeles’ top studio musicians. He has had many notable credits including appearances with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Charlie Rouse Quintet, and John Patitucci (Chick Corea), as well as guitarists Mike Miller (Chuck Mangione) and Grant Geissman. Wiley’s talents have been recognized by the music and film industries. Wiley has composed music for “The Doctor in Spite of Himself”, the docudrama “Budo Warrior”, “Rachel Hunter – The Making of a Calendar” and the Florida On Wheels TV show. The soundtracks of Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad are also his works. He has also recorded numerous records, including Versionnes, Gian Carlo and Infinity on High, Fallout Boy’s album, The Sound of White, Missy Higgins and Lenny Kravitz. Live performances include the Playboy Jazz Festival and UCLA Jazz Concert Series. Ken has received a lot of praise. Billboard and Cashbox magazine selected Visage (Passport Jazz), as the Album of the Week. Highbridge Park was Wiley’s first album on his Krug Park Music label. Highbridge Park is a combination of the French Horn’s haunting melodic sound and the orchestral percussion rhythms. Ken’s first acoustic Jazz CD Jazz Horn Redux, is the result of his unique instructional play-along book and CD “Ken’s Jazz Lounge.” This CD is essential for French horn players who are interested in jazz idioms. It includes transpositions for all brass and wind instruments. Jazz Horn Redux features a stellar West Coast lineup including Mike Miller, Chuck Findley and Trey Henry. Wiley, the acclaimed session trumpet player Gary Grant, and Joe Gastwirt master this collection of 11 jazz standards, including Sonny Rollin’s “Oleo,” Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” Charlie Parker’s ‘Scrapple From the Apple”, Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sunflower” and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s „Corcovado“. This is an inspiring selection that evokes the great jazz recordings from the 50’s and 60’s, but with a modern, and 60’s, while maintaining a new, contemporary sound. This recording was made with the greatest quality possible. It is evocative and reminiscent of the time these great jazz tunes were created. The French Horn is often not at the forefront of most compositions. However, Ken Wiley elevates it to the role of a leading instrument, with its unique voice and emotional nuance. These jazz classics are captured by Wiley, but they are distinguished by Ken’s exceptional interpretations, arrangements, and French Horn performance. http://kenwiley.com
